Musical-instrument player



Feb. l0, 1931. w. v. PRINCE 1,791,903

y MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PLAYER Filed Aug. 17, 1929 /3 @7gg/46 f7/5 ,'95 %f5 INg/ENTOR.

Patented Feb. 10, 1931 PATENT OFFICE uraniumy vIcIon PRINCE, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI MUSICAL-INSTRUMET PLAYER yApplication nica August 17, 1929. semaine. 386,657.y

My 4invention relates to improvements in musical instrument players. It is particularly well adapted for playing musical wind instru-ments of the type operated by the pas- 5 sage therethrough-of'currents of air, such as areed harmonicav or a mouth organ of thek whistle typefhaving air passages communieating with whistles which produce different tones.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a novel playervof the kind described which is adapted for use in connection with an endless perforated-belt music sheet the perforations of which are arranged to regis- 15 "3er withy di'erent onesof the air receiving passages of the wind instrument `which is being played. f i

A further obj ect of my invention is the provision of novel means by which the music belt 20 is adapted to be driven continuously in one direction, so as to? repeat the music played without having to# rewind the sheet in the opposite direction. y

` My invention provides still further novel '25 means for supporting the 'music belt in a manner such that it may be readily removed and replaced by another music belt.

My invention provides novel means operated in connection with a perforated music i 30 sheet by which a tune may be'whi'stled by a whistling musical instrument.

i My invention provides still further av musical instrument player, whichl is simple, cheap, durable, not likely to get out of'order, com- '35 pact, whichis easy to operate by an unskilled perspective view of my im- Fig. 4 is a section on the line v4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a reduced sectional view of a portion of the casing and the driving roller, showing an elastic band employed to retract the driving roller.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the different views.

1 designates a casing having mounted therein a mouth organ of the whistle type, designated by 2, and which organ is provided with a row of air passages 3, Figs. 4, 5'and 6, communicating respectively with whistles 4, which, when air is forced through the passages 3, inwardly, producedifferent tones.

The passages 3 are closeto, but separated from, and register with a longitudinal outlet comprising a slot 5 in a stationary transverse tube 6, which at one end is fixed inand to one side wall of the casing 1. The other end of the tube 6 is provided with' a reduced tubular extension 7, which extends through a hole 8 in a removable side member 9 of the casing 1'. The member 9 has extending through it a bolt 10 provided with a thumb nut 11. The bolt 10 is adapted to be passed into two notches 12 in opposite adjacent sides of the casing 1, Fig. 1.

When the nut 11 is tightened, it is adapted to bear against the adjacent side of the casing 1, the head of the bolt 10 at the same time vbearing against the opposite side of the casing, thus holding the removable member firmly in its operative position. By loosen'- ing the nut said member 9 may be removed.

Parallel with the tube 6 in the casing 1 is a rotary driving member comprising a roller 13 mounted on and revoluble with a shaft 14 one end portion of which extends through and isrotatable and slidable in a slot 15 in one side wall of thecasing l, the other end Vof the shaft 14 being slidable and ro'- tatable in a longitudinal groove 16 in the inner side of the removable side member 9, Fig. 2.

The shaft 14 outside the casing 1 is provided with a crank 17 by-Which the shaft and driving roller 13 may berevolved for the m0 purpose of driving an endless belt music sheet 18, which is removably mounted on the roller 13, and is adapted to be driven thereby, and which embraces the tube 6, and is adapted to close the slot 5 and to also close the passages 3, Figs. 5 and 6.

The belt music sheet 18 is held under tension by the driving roller 13 being normally yieldingly forced away from the tube 6. For so forcing the roller 13, there are provided two coil springs 19, Figs. 2 and 45, one set of ends of which encircle the shaft 14 atopposite ends respectively oi the roller 13, and

'Y the other set of ends of which are respectively attached to two hooks 20 mounted at the inner side of the adjacent end member ol the casing 1.

The music sheet belt 18 is provided with the usual perforations 21, which, when the belt is driven register with the slot 5 and with different ones respectively of the passages 3, dependent upon the particular arrangement of the perforations ior the playing oi certain tunes.

lVhen air is forced from the mouth or by any other source of air pressure through the tubular extension 7 of the tube G, air will be forced through the slet 5 and through the perforations 2l, when the belt is driven by turning the crank 17, as the perforations 21 register with the slot 5Y and the ,passagesy 3. The air will thus be forced through the passages 3, thus playingby means of the whistles 4, the tune represented by the music belt. Y

By continuously blowing air through the tubular extension 7 and turning the crank 17 a tune may be played and repeated without having to first reverse the music sheet,

a-s is done with music sheets which wind from one roll onto another. K Y

vWhen another music belt kis to be substituted for the one which has been played, the nut 11 is loosened, and the side member 9 is withdrawn from the casing 1, after which, by forcing the roller 13 toward the tube 6 against the pressure of the springs 19, the music belt may be slipped endwise from the tube 6 and roller 13, and another one slipped onto the tube and roller in lieu of the removed belt. The member 9 is then replaced and the nut 11 tightened, the tubular eXtension 7 being passed lthrough the hole 8 and the adjacent end of the shaft 14 inserted in the groove 16. The springs 19 will then hold the inserted music belt taut.

The whistle instrument 2 has its side edges slidably mounted in longitudinal grooves 22, 4, in the inner sides of opposite sides of he casing, 1, and the end member 23 of the casing 1 is removable, so that, if desired, another wind instrument of corresponding dimensions and having a similar row of air passages 3'may be substituted 'for the whistle instrument, the substituting instrument being constructed so as to produce sounds diierent from the one removed, il desired.

Instead of the coil springs 19 for holding the music belt taut, an elastic member, such as a rubber belt 24, Fig` 7, may be substituted for the springs 19, the ends of the belt 24 respectively embracing the shaft 14 at opposite ends of the roller 13, the belt being passed through slots 25 in the adjacent end of the casing 1. v

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described, as many modilications,

within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Y f

1. In a musical-instrument player, a tube having an air intake and having an air outlet adapted to register with air intakev passages of a musical wind instrument, a rotary L driving member parallel with said tube and movable toward and from said tube, means for normally yieldingly forcing said driving member away from said tube, and a music sheet comprising an endless belt adapted to embrace and to be driven by said kdriving member and adapted to embrace and to have traveling engagement with said tube and to close said outlet, and having perforations adapted, when said belt is driven, to register with said outlet and with different ones respectively of said passages. Y

2. In a musical instrument player,'a musical wind instrument having air intake passages, a tube having an air intake and having an air outlet close to and registering with said passages, a rotary driving'member parallel with and movable toward and from said tube, means for normally yieldingly forcing said driving member away from said tube, and a music sheet comprising an endless belt adapted to be mounted on and removed from Y said tube and said driving member, and adapted to embrace and to be driven by vsaid driving member and adapted to embrace and to have traveling engagement with said tube and to close said outlet, and having perforations adapted, when said belt is driven, to register with said outlet and with different ones respectively of said passages.

3. In a musical instrument player, a casing, a musical wind instrument therein having air intake passages, a tube in said casing having an air intake extending outside said casing and having an air outlet close to and registering with said passages, a rotary driving member in said casing parallel with and movable toward and from said tube and having means outside said casing by which it may be manually revolved, means for normally yieldingly-forcing said driving member away from said tube, and a music sheet comprising an endless belt embracing and adapted to be driven by said driving member and embracing and adapted for traveling engagement with said tube and to close said outlet, and having perforations adapted, when said belt is driven, to register with said outlet and with different ones respectively of said passages.

4. In a musical instrument player, a casing having a removable member, a musical wind instrument in said casing having air intake passages, a tube in said casing having an air intake end portion extending through said removable member and having an air outlet close to and registering with said passages, a rotary driving member in said casing parallel With and movable toward and from said tube and having at one end means extending outside said casing by which it can be revolved and having the other end rotatably and removably mounted in said removable member, the latter being removable from the adjacent ends of said tube and said driving member, means for normally yieldingly forcing said driving member away from said tube, and a music sheet comprising an end-4 less belt adapted, when said removablek member is removed to be slipped onto and off from said tube and said driving member and embracing and adapted t0 be driven by said driving member and embracing and having traveling engagement with said tube and closing said outlet, and having perforations adapted, when said belt is driven, to register With said outlet and with different ones respectively of said passages.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WARREN VICTOR PRINCE. 

